Cultivating
mushrooms at home has become fairly popular in recent years because
of the wide availability of the supplies needed to grow fungi
variants that produce edible mushrooms.

The
methods employed for growing edible mushrooms have not changed a lot
these past few decades. The methods haven't changed because the whole
process of growing mushrooms has always been straightforward and
effective. As the old adage goes, if something isn't broken, why fix
it?

Step
1: Pure Culture

Modern
mushroom cultivation actually begins in the confines of your basement
or home mushroom workshop. Before you can begin growing mushrooms in
plastic bags, you need to obtain and multiply pure culture. Pure
culture is really just the mycelium of the target species of fungi.

Mycelium
is like the seed that will later produce the edible mushrooms that
you're after. Mushrooms are just the fruiting bodies of fungi
species. They are produced when conditions are right so as a mushroom
grower, it would be your job to ensure that the right number of
favorable conditions is present when you start bagging the substrate
and the grain spawn.

In
the first phase of the process, you need to obtain some culture of
the target species. This culture will then be grown in petri dishes
with agar. Agar is just the medium that will hold the mycelium.
Molasses and other nutrient-rich items can be mixed with the agar to
ensure maximum mycelium growth.

Step
2: Create Grain Spawn

When
the mycelium has grown, it can be stored for months until you are
ready to create the grain spawn. Grain
spawn is
needed to inoculate big batches of substrate. You can create grain
spawn by adding pure culture to rye grains.

It
takes about ten days for the rye grain to be ready. After this spawn
run you need to use the rye grain immediately while it is still
viable. Otherwise, the rye grain might end up being unusable because
the mycelium will grow nonstop inside the sterile jars.

Of
course, you would want to inoculate more than a few bags of
substrate. You will need more than one batch of viable grain spawn.
You can increase the amount of grain spawn by adding small amounts of
viable grain spawn to sterilized rye grains.

One
jar of viable grain spawn can give rise to ten more jars of grain
spawn. If you produce ten jars of grain spawn from pure culture, you
can definitely produce up to a hundred more jars of grain spawn by
carefully measuring and distributing the contents of the first
generation jars.

Final
Step: Inoculate Substrate

The
final step is inoculating your chosen substrate. The two most popular
choices when it comes to growing common edible mushrooms are wood
chips and wheat straw. If you have been able to obtain freshly cut
wood chips you won't have to sterilize it anymore. Wheat straw is
another story.

You
need to sterilize it before adding the grain spawn. If you want to
inoculate wood chips, you will need a rake so you can distribute the
grain spawn evenly throughout each batch of substrate. If you are
planning to use wheat straw, you need uniformly-sized polyethylene
bags.

One
of the reasons many are interested in how to grow mushrooms is
because they are beautiful, architectural organisms. Growing them is
as satisfying as growing a pot of flowers; sometimes more so if you
get to eat what was grown in the end! Here is a small look into some
lovelier varieties and if you can grow them for yourself!

1. Fly
Agaric (Amanita Muscaria)

This
breathtaking red mushroom is what many think about when they think of
mushrooms, as it is featured in many childhood fairytales. The one
picture above is in its starting phases, but still features the
distinguishing red hue and textured white spots. The Fly Agaric
is a toxic mushroom which has psychoactive features (meaning it will
cause hallucinations) and so it is a mushroom for admiring only. I
would love to plant in a pot for decorative purposes; unfortunately,
I have not been able to find the spawn, which I assume is because
this mushroom has hallucinogenic properties.

2. Turkey
Tail (Trametes versicolor)

So-called
due to its resemblance to the birds back feathers, the Turkey Tail
boasts a rainbow of autumn colours in a stunning disc display. Not
just a pretty face, this mushroom has bioremediation potential as it
able to degrade a wide variety of pollutants. It is also used
in traditional Chinese medicine as an anti-cancer medication, however
scientific evidence towards its efficacy is limited. Although
you are welcome to munch on this mushroom, it has a terrible taste,
and so it is not generally categorized as an edible mushroom.
Happily, can you can grow these at home, either in logs or in pots
for decorative purposes.

3.
Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus)

Lion’s
Mane mushroom belongs to a the Hericium mushroom family,
composed of other similarly-looking hairy species. These lovely
mushrooms do indeed remind the onlooker of a Lion’s Mane, but for
me it looks like a christmas ornament. The mushrooms are edible and
delicious, with a chewy texture and a flavour reminiscent of lobster.
It is widely used in Chinese cuisine to replace meat. Lion’s
Mane is easily grown at home in sterilized sawdust. Post on this very
soon!

4. Bioluminescent Mushrooms (Mycena
chlorophos)

In
the sun, these mushrooms are definitely nothing special. However,
turn the lights off, and these mushrooms are a real show. When these
mushrooms emerge during the rainy season in Japan and Brazil, they
will glow for up to 72 hours. The glow comes from the interaction of
natural chemicals within the mushroom. Truly a feast for the
eyes, however these mushrooms are inedible and very difficult to grow
even in laboratory conditions.

5.
Red Coral Fungi (Ramaria araiospora)

Belonging
to a species of mushrooms that look like coral you’d find under the
sea, this pretty mushroom boasts a pink colour to make any girl (or
guy) smile. Lucky for the admirers, this mushroom is edible, with a
mild taste lending itself to a variety of flavourings. It does not
seem to be easily cultivated, unfortunately, so no how to grow
tutorials on this anytime soon!

Are
you interested in growing
your very own edible mushrooms at home?
Mushroom cultivation has actually been around for thousands of years
and in the United States, modern mushroom cultivation has developed
so much these past few decades that absolutely anyone who has a
passion for growing things can try it in the comfort of their home.

Mushroom
cultivation is not as difficult as it seems; it is a lot like
gardening only this time, you won't be planting seeds or saplings.
You will be taking care of fungal mycelium that would later sprout
tasty, edible fruiting bodies known as mushrooms.

But
don't be deceived - mushrooms don't just sprout from the ground after
you've thrown some mycelium. If you want maximum yield, you need to
prepare the substrate carefully and add the right amount of spawn to
the substrate.

The
spawn is really just the fungi attached to a nutrient source. Many
mushroom growers use grains like rye to propagate mycelium. When
mycelium has finally colonized a batch of grains, the fungi is robust
enough to colonize a larger tract ñ the substrate.

Mother
Nature knew that fungi can overrun whole forests if it thrived too
easily, so it made sure that fungi had very specific requirements
before it can produce fruiting bodies.

Fruiting
bodies release millions of spores into the air, which allows the
fungi to reproduce in other areas. Technically, the mushroom is the
reproductive organ of fungi. Without it, reproduction would be
impossible in the wild.

The
first thing that you would need if you are serious about cultivating
mushrooms is a batch of sturdy petri dishes. Petri dishes are used in
the first phase of mushroom cultivation (culturing/cloning mycelium).

Agar
and some culture are added to the petri dishes and the mycelium is
allowed to thrive in the agar. A nutrient source is required. Some
people use oatmeal while some like grinding dog food. Mycelium
primarily requires carbohydrates so it would be a good idea to add a
bit of sugar to your agar to boost the development of the mycelium.

When
viable pure culture has finally been obtained, you will then require
some rye grain, a large pressure cooker and some glass jars/canning
jars with resalable caps. The rye grain and jars have to be "cooked"
in the pressure cooker for a time to remove traces of fungi and
bacteria. After the sterilization, the prepared culture can then be
added to the rye grain.

After
the second spawn run, you would have exactly two batches of viable
grain spawn. Choose your substrate (e.g. wood chips) and use a rake
to spread the contents of your jars. Even distribution is the key to
successful mushroom cultivation so make sure that you add a little
more spawn per batch of substrate.

After
adding the substrate, add the substrate supplement. Animal manure is
an excellent choice. Just make sure that you monitor the temperature
of the substrate. If it gets too hot, there's a big chance that the
mycelium (which is just getting ready to colonize the substrate) will
die.

Making
your own mushroom spawn is not difficult. You just need a few key
ingredients and accessories and you’ll be on your way. We have
outlined the required materials below and then detailed the
step-by-step instructions.

Required
Materials

Mushroom
Piece – a small piece of the mushroom variety you’d like to
spawn

Autoclave
or Pressure Cooker – an autoclave is a high pressure device used
to sterilize equipment it runs anywhere from $30 to $2000 depending
on the size and quality of unit you are looking for. Pressure
cookers can also be used and are widely available and cost between
$50 - $100.

Agar
Plate Petri Dishes – yes, the things you used in science class.
This is a Petri dish that contains the growth medium agar. Agar is
gelatin substance that is made from seaweed cells and aids in
encouraging culture growth. These can be found on Amazon.com for
about $30.

HEPA
Filter Air Purifier – these can be found on Amazon.com for about
$50.

Sterilized
Grain – this can be found on Amazon.com for about $5 for

Jars
– there can be found on Fungi.com for about $15 for 4.

5
Steps To Make Mushroom Spawn

Step
1:Set
up your workspace. You need a closed in area. A small shed or closet
works well. Be sure you can enclose the space with either a door or a
tarp. Once your space has been selected, you need to disinfect the
entire area. This is accomplished by wiping it down with 10% bleach
to water solution. Every surface must be sterilized. Then clean the
air with the HEPA Filter Air Purifier.

Step
2:Sterilize
all your equipment that will be used for the spawn production. You
can either buy materials already sterilized or you must sterilize
yourself. You can sterilize equipment with an autoclave or pressure
cooker. Remember not to bring anything into your work area that is
not sterilized. Be sure to use the sterilization equipment as
recommended by the product instructions. In general, sterilization
generally takes place at over 200-degrees Fahrenheit with about 15
PSI of pressure for about 45 minutes.

Step
3:Place
the small piece of mushroom on an agar plate Petri dish. Cover and
let it sit undisturbed in your workspace. Keep it moist. And be sure
to monitor the temperature in the room as each variety of mushrooms
has different ideal temperatures. This step usually takes about 2
weeks.

Step
4:Once
the Petri dish is filled with long, healthy strands it is time to
transfer. At this phase the material is called mycelium. Do not let
the mycelium grow too long in the small dishes. Transfer to the
sterilized grain in jars. Allow it to colonize for about 2 – 4
weeks under the correct temperature for the mushroom variety.

Step
5:Keep
an eye on your jars. You are looking for white filaments. This is
your grain spawn and will now produce mushrooms.

Mushroom
Growing Kits

Another
way to go is to just buy a kit. They are packed with all the
materials you need and are reasonably priced. Check out this Mushroom
Growing Kit.
For under $100, you have all the equipment as well as the grain.

You
may have never heard of Wine Cap Mushrooms, also known by their
scientific name Stropharia rugosoannulata, and their awesome name,
Godzilla Mushroom. Whatever you call them, Wine Cap Mushrooms are
tasty and lovely-looking mushrooms. They have a rich brown colour, a
nutty flavour and contain a lot more moisture than your typical
mushroom when cooked. Wine Cap Mushrooms are exquisite when prepared
in soups and sauces, cooked with lemon juice, nutmeg or fennel as
flavourings.

Because
they are not widely-harvested, wine caps are very expensive, organic
varieties going from $18/pound. Once again, learning how to grow
mushrooms an is easy, inexpensive and a great way to sample something
new in the mushroom world.

Wine
Cap mushrooms thrive when planted both outdoors, but sadly they don’t
easily take to growing indoors, so you’ll need to plant these on
the ground or in a pot. Wine Cap Mushrooms can tolerate a huge range
of temperatures, from 4-32 degrees Celsius (40-90 degrees
Fahrenheit), so planting spring is your best option.

Materials

Wine
Cap Mushroom Spawn. My
favourite location to get spawn is eBay. I have yet to buy spawn
from this particular seller, so I cannot vouch for the quality of
their spawn. However, their reviews are good and I’ve always found
eBay reviews to be dependable.

Wood
Chips. Any
type of tree variety will do, excluding pine. Also avoid wood chips
with large amounts of leafy matter. You can buy these at garden
stores and centres, but often times these are given away for free by
tree and shrub services.

Compost.

Instructions

Find
a shady spot in your garden, such as around a tree. Loosen the
soil where you are going to be putting down your Wine Cap
Mushroom spawn.

Remove
some soil to create a small depression in the ground, around 8
inches if you can manage it. Fill depression with a mix of wood
chips and compost, adding in more wood chips than compost.

Take
your Wine Cap Mushroom spawn and sprinkle it over.

Cover
your spawn with an approximately 2 inch layer of compost.

Water
the whole thing once a day (more during dry, hot days) to keep it
well hydrated.

Harvesting

As
I mentioned above, Wine Cap mushrooms can get huge.

Nonetheless,
Wine Cap Mushrooms are at their best when eaten smaller, when
the mushroom heads are around a palm’s size or just as the
skin on the head of the mushroom (the dark brown veil) starts tearing
near the edges.

Leave
a few behind to mature completely if you’d like your Wine Cap
Mushrooms to regrow somewhere else in your garden — no guarantees
of where though! Wine Cap Mushrooms reproduce by releasing spores
into the air, so they may land anywhere.

White
button mushrooms are a favourite amongst North Americans today. When
searching on how to grow mushrooms, this is likely the first variety
to be learned. Attractive and delicious, white button mushrooms are
easy to incorporate in a wide variety of dishes, including pizzas,
pastas, curries and salads.

Where
to grow them

As
I mentioned in my review
of mushroom growing,
mushrooms generally enjoy growing in cool and dark areas. The area in
which you are growing your White Button Mushrooms should stay between
18-24 degrees Celsius (65-75 degrees Fahrenheit) and be shielded from
disturbances and light. A basement crawlspace is therefore perfect
for growing your first batch of white button mushrooms. If you are an
apartment dweller, a dark closet is also a great option.

Materials

White
Button Mushroom Spawn. Spawn
is mycelium (the mushroom roots; see review
of mushroom growing for
more information) in its beginning stages. I got my first white
button mushroom spawn from eBay with
great results.

A
Box. Find
acardboard
box that
is at least 6 inches deep. A box with a large surface area is best
as it gives your mushrooms more room to grow.

A
garbage bag. This
garbage bag will be used to line the above box to keep things from
getting messy and helping moisture stay put.

100%
Composted Manure. This
is the growing medium from your white button mushrooms and what
will be their food source. You need to ensure that you get 100%
manure, and nota
manure mix. Cow
manure is
best, but you can use other types of manure (e.g. sheep) if
unavailable. Most good garden stores or centres will sell cow
manure.

Newspaper.

Vermiculite. Many
beginner mushroom growers make the mistake of planting their
mushrooms in full manure. However, to ensure success, you need to
mix your manure with vermiculite. While the manure provides the
mushroom nutrients, vermiculite ensure aeration and moisture
retention. You can get it at garden centres or order off Amazon
(link below):

Instructions

Open
the garbage bag and line the box with your bag.

Add
a 50/50 mix of vermiculite and manure. 50 grams of white button
mushroom spawn can inoculate 5 kg of growing medium – that is, the
maximum amount of mushroom spawn 5 kg of medium can take is 50
grams. Therefore, fill the box with the right amounts of
growing medium. This doesn’t have to exact, but add a bit more
when in doubt.

Make
sure that the medium is not too deep – around 3 inches after
patting the whole thing down well is what you should be aiming for.

Spray
the medium with a bit of water if necessary to ensure that the
medium is damp, but not waterlogged.

Sprinkle
the white button mushroom spawn onto the growing medium.

Remove
a 4-5 layers of newspaper and dampen with the spray button. Lay
these newspapers ontop of the scattered spawn.

Cover
the top of the box with a plastic bag with a few holes pierced into
it. This is to retain moisture.

Over
the next 3 weeks, check your mushrooms once a day to ensure that the
newspaper is moist. After 3 weeks, you should see the white web of
mycelium spreading over top surface of the manure/vermiculite.

Grab
some more manure/vermiculite 50/50 mix. Cover with around 1 inch of
the manure/vermiculite mix. Spray with water to ensure that the
whole thing is moist. Cover with plastic once again.

Check
once a day to ensure that your medium is still damp and spray with
water if necessary.

Wait
another 3-5 weeks, and you should see your white button mushrooms
starting to grow!

When
your mushrooms are large enough harvest
the mushrooms by twisting them and pulling them off. As long as you
ensure that your growth medium is moist, mushrooms should regrow in
around 1 week, for up to 12 weeks!

Ah,
the famous Portobello mushroom. You’ve undoubtedly come across
Portobello mushrooms in the form of a delicious vegetarian burger or
sautéed with onions in an Italian restaurants. The Portobello
mushroom has a strong flavour which stands out in any dish. I love
slicing Portobello mushrooms up and sautéed with fresh garlic and
thyme, adding a bit of balsamic vinaigrette at the end. You and
your family will eat these right up!

Instead
of going to the grocery store and paying around $4/pound for
lower-quality, non-organic portobellos, why not just grow them at
home? Follow the instructions below for a step-by-step guide on how
to grow mushrooms: Portobello edition!

Instructions

You
may be surprised to find out that the Portobello is actually just the
mature form of the Agaricus bisporus mushroom, or the White Button
Mushroom. To grow Portobello mushrooms, simply follow the
instructions in my <a href="http://growingmushrooms.blogspot.com/2016/01/how-to-grow-white-button-mushrooms.html">How
to Grow White Button Mushrooms post</a>. Instead
of harvesting all of your white button mushrooms, leave a few behind
to grow to full maturity.
When these mushrooms have reached between 4-5 inches in diameter,
they have become Portobello mushrooms and are ready to become your
next veggie burger.